Baobab wire-tree takes root at Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa

9 November 2011

The art installation forms part of the hotel’s investment in offering a compassionate, inspiring guest experience centered round “ubuntu” and “wamkelekile” [You are welcome], while creating a cultural platform that both uplifts and showcases the art and talent of local communities.

“As Capetonian’s, we are enriched with a talented arts community. Consequently we are showcasing the caliber of artists and crafters that will not only be part of our guest experience but also represents our ethos of ubuntu,” says General Manager Desmond O’ Connor.

The abstract trees were inspired by the mystical baobab tree that, which been used historically for food, water and shelter and are often a meeting place for African tribes.

Creator of the wire trees, Jeff Mwazha, also conceptualized the innovative and now legendary wire Nelson Mandela design in the atrium, which symbolizes former President Mandela’s walk to freedom. As a self-taught wire artist, Jeff has undergone a 20-year artistic journey in creating modern art out of wire and many of his amazing wire artwork has found homes all over the world.

The innovative, three meter-high wire-tree installations, meanwhile, are made of recyclable iron rod with a striking six metre tall wire-tree on the third floor.

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“I have grown up with baobab trees and when I was commissioned by Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa to create a tree-inspired design, I wanted to reflect this mystical tree as abstract fine art. The iron rods resemble tree bark which I used to create textural beauty and depth,” says Jeff.

Located on Cape Town’s heritage and cultural pulse, Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa celebrates Nelson Mandela and his ethos with a visual and cultural journey in the atrium and corridors of the hotel. The hotel also recently unveiled a rubric cube mosaic in the lobby in which 1460 colour blocks form an abstract tapestry of a smiling Madiba.

Guests can further honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by viewing the life and times of South Africa’s most prolific icon in 14 distinct sections which are highlighted across the walls of one of the hotel’s entrance corridors.

City.Mobi

Also in South Africa today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Cape Town.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.